New Multi-Material Metal 3D Printing Technique for Lightweight, Durable Automobile Parts

Lightweighting, or the concept that lighter cars can achieve better fuel efficiency, battery range, acceleration, braking and handling, is one of the biggest trends in automobile manufacturing today. But challenges remain, notably when it comes to combining materials to take advantage of different properties, for example the strength of steel and the lightness of aluminum. Now there might be a solution thanks to researchers from Tohoku University’s Institute for Materials Research and New Industry Creation Hatchery Center who have made a breakthrough with a new multi-material metal 3D printing technique that can be used to create lightweight, durable automobile parts.

Additive manufacturing has become immensely popular in the car manufacturing sector. In a press release from Tohoku University, the precision of 3D printing notably highlighted it as a way to produce unique, highly-customizable shapes. However, the materials used often have drawbacks, which is where multi-material 3D printing comes in. Still, that in itself is not infallible.

Interfacial strength for steel-aluminum alloy multi-materials melted using LPBF at different scan speeds (photo credits: Kenta Yamanaka et al.)

“Multi-materials are a hot topic in the field of additive manufacturing due to its process flexibility,” explains Associate Professor Kenta Yamanaka, “However, a major challenge in practical implementation is that for certain metal combinations, such as steel and aluminum, brittle intermetallic compounds can be formed at the dissimilar metal interfaces. So, while the material is now lighter, it ends up being more brittle.”